All aboard the jaloopyjaloopy n.a ramshackle rollercoaster.[a blend of jalopy + loop.] to Hoptanglia!
Along the way you might catch a glimpse of some of the native life forms, such as the polliwattpolliwatt/ˈpɒlɪˌwɒt/noun an electric tadpole.[a blend of English dialect polliwog 'tadpole' + watt.], an electric tadpole; the junglefuzzjunglefuzz n.a wild, woolly sheep tousled to distraction.Derivatives ▾Hence:junglefuzzy adj. , a wild, woolly sheep tousled to distraction; or the bazoobabushkabazoobabushka n.an old lady with a rocket launcher.Derivatives ▾Hence:bazoobabushkalike adj. [a blend of bazooka + Ru. бабушка bábuška ‘grandmother’.], an old lady with a rocket launcher.
When you arrive you may be invited to partake in some of the solemn cultural traditions, such as skirplicadoskirplicado nm.the gentle art of creating decorative shapes by folding speeding tickets.n.a sculpture made in this way.[from skirr ‘to rush with a whirr’ + L. plicare ‘to fold’ + -ado.], the gentle art of creating ornamental shapes by folding speeding tickets; or landguessinglandguessing nm.the pastime of predicting where the ground will be when you’ve completed your somersault., the pastime of predicting where the ground will be when you’ve completed your somersault.
By then you’ll probably be quite hungry, so you can sample some of the local cuisine, such as lampsandlampsand nm.pulverized rice that is fried over an oil lamp and served with a good book.Derivatives ▾Hence:lampsandy adj. , pulvarized rice that is fried over an oil lamp and served with a good book; or a grungelogrungelo/ˈɡrʌnʤәˌlәʊ/noun 1. a purple, hairy fruit with bad table manners.2. the tree which bears this fruit.grungelose /ˈɡrʌnʤәˌlәʊs/ adjective [a blend of grunge + tangelo.], a purple, hairy fruit with bad table manners; or a wooflewoofle n.a swavoureet cross between a hot dog and a waffle.[a blend of woof + waffle.], a cross between a hot dog and a waffle.
“It’s all a bit fornoolishingfornoolishing adj.nutritiously injudicious.Derivatives ▾Hence:fornoolishingly adv. fornoolishment n. [a blend of foolish + nourishing.], really.” – The Kettlebrook Gazepticle
Heddigadelleriesheddigadelleries interjection hello.Synonym: saloom, bonbonjuka, hearty miles, konniciaoa, howdy-g'daily-raysAntonym: feravidy mosta, moolas[a variant of Hoptanglish haudigudailiraze.]! I’m David and I’ve got a touch of the scribbles. I remember that day in junior school when we had to put little lettered cards into a series of transparent pockets to practise spelling. I enjoyed most subjects and English was by far my favourite, but something about that lesson in the tactile construction of words started awakening me to the fact that this thing called language is deeply profound. My awed fascination have been growing ever since.
Beyond spelling, my favourite homework became Words in Sentences. Whether it was vocabulary practice, pun cracking or book reading, every day I was inspired and nurtured by the wit, creativity and adventurousness of my father, John Roger Catchpoole, to whom I dedicate this work. Prior to 2006 I only occasionally had urges to coin words, but the more I indulged the more frequently it happened. In 2008 I knew I had to collate and organize them into a dictionary, so I began building Hoptanglish, which is my constructed language spoken in my fictional world of Hoptanglia. It’s an a posteriori, artistic conlang based on English, so it freely borrows from other languages. Over the past two decades the development of the scope, coherence and quality of the vocabulary has been my obsession.
So, a hearty welcome to my site, where you can explore the language in different ways. The Hoptanglish side of the dictionary is here. Then there’s a thesaurus over here where you can look up words by their English equivalent. If you’d prefer to browse by subject, check out the Category Tree over there. For a guide to abbreviations, pronunciation and grammar, go thisaway. Then, if you feel like trying your luck with some games, go thataway.
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